The 185,000-sq-m park will have cost some 3 billion yuan ($435 million) by the time it is completed in 2019, and will feature a center for killer whales, a circus troupe, family recreation parks and resort hotels.

According to Wuxi publicity department, the ocean park will house more than 1,000 species of fish and marine animals, such as white whales, pilot whales, polar bears and emperor penguins.

Hangzhou Changqiao Investment Group is leading the project on the fronts of finance, design and operation of aquarium. The group has run ocean parks for over 20 years, such as the Hangzhou Changqiao Polar Ocean Park, Zhengzhou Polar Ocean World and Nanchang Ocean Park.

The ocean park will serve as tourist attraction to Hongshan’s Internet of Things (IoT) town which was first announced at the 2016 World Internet of Things Expo held in Wuxi last year. As such, the park will fully integrate IoT technology in its facilities, services, and exhibitions.